ACHD Services

The ACHD Director

The ACHD Director oversees the day-to-day operation and management of the ACHD workforce.
Bruce S. Wong, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, became Director on February 7, 2011. During his tenure, ACHD adopted an Integrated Five-Year Work Plan
to provide more transparency and to display the link between the District’s capital construction program and daily operations and maintenance activities.
The District also added flashing yellow arrows at intersections to improve traffic flow, placed reflective pavement markers to enhance nighttime driving,
introduced green turn boxes and painted lanes to increase cyclist safety, expand bicycle and pedestrian travel lanes,
increased community program funding and focused maintenance and traffic operation strategies.

The term of office for each Commissioner is based on a rotation schedule designated by state law.
The Commission generally meets on the first, second, and third Wednesday of the month at noon. An evening meeting
occurs on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. and every effort is made to schedule items of potential
public interest for the evening meetings. No meetings occur on the fifth Wednesday of any month. Special meetings
are scheduled as needed.

Downtown Boise Implementation Plan

General Description:

The 2016 DBIP is substantially complete as of November 16, 2016.

2016 Downtown Boise Implementation Plan

Beginning as early as May 18, 2016 construction will begin on the Downtown Boise Implementation Plan (DBIP) project on Jefferson Street between 16th and 1st streets. Construction is scheduled for completion in November.

Downtown Boise Road Work Summer/Fall 2015

This project is substantially complete as of 10/15/15.

New changes are coming to the streets of Downtown Boise this summer. The Ada County Highway District is working to bring transportation improvements to the downtown core. Construction will begin the first part of August and is expected to be completed by the middle of October.

Overlays

Bannock Street between 9th Street and 15th Street

13th Street between Main Street and State Street

14th Street between Front Street and State Street

One-way to two-way conversions

13th Street between Main Street and State Street

14th Street between Front Street and State Street

Signal changes/additions

13th & Front

13th & Main

13th & Idaho

13th & Bannock

13th & Jefferson

13th & State

14th & Main

14th & Idaho

Crews will complete as much of the work as possible at night to minimize impacts to traffic. Crews will potentially work 7 days a week, either from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the day, or from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. at night. Crews will not be allowed to impede traffic between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Buffered Bike Lane Pilot Project

On Wednesday, June 4, 2014 ACHD Commissioners ended the pilot, and asked ACHD staff to work with interested parties on a strategy for bicycle facilities in downtown Boise by the end of August. ACHD crews began removing the road markings that created the demonstration lanes over the weekend and will continue the removal through June 12th.

The novel project drew an unprecedented amount of public interest, generating more than 11,000 responses to an online survey about the buffered bike lanes, as well as more than 1,300 e-mails and phone calls. The majority of the survey takers, by a split of 55-to-45 percent, opposed keeping the lanes as a permanent feature. A wider majority of those who sent in written comments urged scrapping of the bike lanes, which reduced Capitol Boulevard, Idaho Street and Main Street by one vehicle travel lane.

While Boise City asked for the lanes to be made permanent -- supported by a large number of area cyclists -- concerns or opposition came from the bicycle and traffic units of the Boise Police Department and from the majority of downtown business people who were surveyed. Critics cited issues of safety, convenience and aesthetics. Although the police noted confusion over the lanes and potential safety issues, officers also acknowledged that no car-on-bike crashes occurred as a result of the pilot.

ACHD measured a 20-percent increase in travel time on Main and Idaho streets -- but no traffic jams occurred -- but the District heard from many citizens who said they experienced backed up traffic and from Valley Regional Transit, which said its bus drivers experienced three to five minutes of increased travel time getting through downtown at peak times. Although more cyclists were counted using the lanes, the increases were not deemed to be worth the tradeoffs in terms of appearance, traffic flow and decreased street parking.

Commissioners said the project showed a strong need for expanded bicycle facilities in downtown Boise and told ACHD staff to work with a group of stakeholders to come up with an implementation plan by the end of August. The plan may include buffered bike lanes, regular lanes enhanced by additional pavement markings and/or traditional bike lanes on routes the group finds appropriate.

The stakeholders group will include ACHD, the City of Boise, the Capital City Development Corporation, the Downtown Boise Association, Valley Regional Transit, and others. Information gleaned from the 30-day pilot project will help the group examine parts of the project that were successful, as well as areas that may require a different approach. Those recommendations will be brought back before the ACHD Commissioners in August or September.

......

In May, the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) converted one traffic lane to a buffered bicycle lane on Capitol Boulevard, Idaho Street and Main Street for at least a one-month trial. This will give motorists, bicyclists, and traffic experts an opportunity to "try on"Â the proposal before considering a permanent change.

The City of Boise requested that the lanes added to the streets to increase bicycle safety and connectivity downtown and urged ACHD to implement the change. Curious about the impact to downtown Boise of such a major shift, the ACHD Commission approved the demonstration to gauge the feasibility of the proposal.

During the month of May we encouraged residents to drive, ride and experience:

Capitol Boulevard, Boise River to Bannock Street

Idaho Street, 16th Street to Broadway Avenue

Main Street, 16th Street to Broadway Avenue

What is a buffered bike lane?

For the May 2014 demonstration, the buffered bike lane was an area for cyclists separated from the vehicle travel lanes by painted striping and vertical markers, and occasionally a vehicle parking lane. See an example below.

Bike Boxes

A bike box is an intersection safety feature to prevent bicycle/car collisions, especially those between drivers turning right and bicyclists going straight.

ACHD and Boise City, in cooperation with Capital City Development Corporation, Downtown Boise Association, and Valley Regional Transit, are working to develop the Downtown Boise Implementation Plan. The goal of this project is to establish a plan to coordinate major roadway improvements that are proposed, planned or requested in the downtown area, including: